Calf with a cross on its head

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Praise be, this holy calf was born a week ago on a Sterling, Connecticut farm owned by Brad Davis. From WFSB:

Davis said, "Well, I think it's maybe a message from up above. I'm not sure. We're still trying to figure that out."

Megan Johnson of Sterling said, "Well I wasn't surprised. I wasn't surprised at all because the dairy industry has needed a miracle for a long time and this is it. I think it's divine intervention, personally. I'm in the breeding business and I know about reproduction and genetics and I don't think this could happen again in a million cows."

Distractify has thirty mall santas to be on the lookout for. There’s plenty of listicle filler here, but would you just look at those vintage masked bastards. There’s even a website dedicated to creepy santas. [via MeFi, which has even more]

We’ve posted previously about Electronic Voice Phenomena (EVP), the weird sounds in electronic recordings that some paranormal researchers insist are actually voices of spirits. But I didn’t realize that EVP is part of a larger genre of ghostly phenomena called Instrumental Transcommunication “said to occur on devices as varied as television sets, radios, computers, handheld […]

Start your own odditorium by spending $15,000 on “Mike & Ike – they look alike,” a purportedly real two-headed calf taxidermy mount that was previously part of the the Museum of Lost Arts – International Historical Exhibition. Only available for local pick up in New Castle, Pennsylvania. From the eBay auction description: This is a […]

The Boing Boing Store’s Gift Guide is full of ideas for pretty much anyone in your life like hipster ice cub trays, Xbox controllers, Halo Boards, and even diamond necklaces. As always, all products in the Boing Boing Store come at great discounts, too. Shop by price bucket starting at under $20. Under $20:Bloxx Jumbo Ice Trays […]

Unlike traditional lighters, the SaberLight features an electronic plasma beam that’s both rechargeable and butane-free. This sleek lighter is even approved by TSA, so you’ll never be stuck buying lighters you’ll just have to throw away partially used. For some people, like me, this is a pretty big game-changer. The SaberLight’s beam is actually both hotter and cleaner […]

Holiday shopping is in full swing, and the Striiv Touch is one of the best gift ideas I’ve landed on. Its simple design works for females and males, and its wide range of features makes it suitable for even the non-fitness enthusiasts in your life.Unlike traditional fitness trackers, the Striiv Touch also acts as a smartwatch. It […]

This is a miracle? What, God couldn’t think of something a little more dramatic than reaching into a cow’s womb and rubbing a calf’s forehead like a Catholic priest on Ash Wednesday? I mean, ok, it’s a pretty neat trick, but why not ALL the calves on the farm, or every single one throughout the world?

The universe is huge, and unlikely events happen all the time. In the grand scheme of things, this doesn’t merit even a second glance, and is certainly not proof of any divine will.

Statistics! This is what happens when people don’t think about probability: “I don’t think this could happen again in a million cows.”

According to Wikipedia, there are over 96 million head of cattle in the US alone, and about 1.3 billion head in the entire world… so even relatively rare and unusual markings have a pretty good chance of showing up.

Well hey, she’s completely right! It couldn’t happen again in a million cows, but happily there are approximately 1.3 billion cows alive in the world today (Wikipedia is the best). If I had to guess, there’s probably a whole lot more turnover in the cow population than the human one, too, to boost the odds even more.

Such progress in the past few thousand years of human development; Among the old school of animal sacrifice this lucky calf wouldn’t have had it’s first meal before being burned in offering to the invisible superheros in the sky.

Now we just sacrifice the animal’s anonymity, which it probably doesn’t mind.

“I’m in the breeding business and I know about reproduction and genetics”

Now correct me if I’m wrong guys, but I thought that markings were phenotypic features, e.g. a clone of a cat with (obviously) the same DNA will have different markings due to differences in the womb environment. If this is the case, I’m willing to believe that this guy doesn’t actually know that much about genetics apart from “mate big bull with cow to make bigger calves”.

Man, I just loooove when people claim to know what they’re talking about, while proudly sustaining obvious mumbo jumbo like this one, believing that the sole fact that they said “oh I know what I’m talking about, I know about reproduction and genetics” makes them unquestionable.

Let us all praise how God works through mysterious randomness. If I was Him, I’d try to be a little bit more clear when trying to send a message.

I’m from that area of Connecticut, and I can tell you that many people there are undereducated and creepy religious. Every year, there are still fights over the patronage of shops which put ‘Happy Holidays’ on their windows and not ‘Merry Christmas’.

My father breeds cattle professionally. One year a calf was born with the Nike “swish” on its head in perfect detail. He wrote to them and they were not interested in using the calf for an ad, saying it was too commonplace (and too easy to photoshop in, I’m sure.)

I don’t understand theists. They claim some invisible superhero made the world, and then they turn around and claim some weird little splotch on a calve’s head or a burn mark on a tortilla is a miracle.

I don’t understand theists. They claim some invisible superhero made the world [snip]

Uh, no, actually that’s not what theists claim. You’re confusing theists with Christians, or possibly Muslims, or something. Theists claim there is at least one extant divine being. Invisibility, superheroism, and responsibility for creation of the world are not universally agreed to be aspects of divinity.

Cow-God be praised! This little guy will probably have a nice long life! How could one possibly justify eating a holy cow? “This is the body of Christ, this is the blood of Christ, now feast upon the burger of Christ!”

“I think it’s divine intervention, personally. I’m in the breeding business and I know about reproduction and genetics and I don’t think this could happen again in a million cows.”

Not only is this person a bit daft, she’s also a liar who clearly knows nothing about genetics or else she would have heard of the “star gene”.

When humans domesticate animals, one trait we tend to select for is docility. One gene associated with docility is the “star gene”. Why’s it called that? Because it also affects coat color. In addition to other changes, it commonly results in a white star on the animal’s forehead.